The new Riflecraft Field Shooting Clinics cover a wide range of topics and shooting distances allowing the student to somewhat guide their own educational experience. The Ashbury Precision Ordnance training facility in Virginia is top of the line and gives shooters the opportunity to engage steel targets at distances out to one mile and beyond.

The Force Science Institute (FSI) just published a detailed study through the Law Enforcement Executive Forum on the benefits of the passenger side approach when conducting vehicle stops. The authors here at BlueSheepDog (BSD) have long been preaching the tactical benefits of this approach from our own experiences, and we are very excited to see a scientific study supporting this critical skill.

Vehicle stops have often been labelled “routine” police work by the media and those not in law enforcement. Law enforcement officers have often strongly opposed this description recognizing the inherent dangers of this duty. However, the BSD Crew recognize truth in both positions. When examined together (routine, and dangerous) a proper context can be established to understand this vital duty more completely. We’ll discuss this issue at the end of the article.

On March 29, 2016 at around 1725 hours Glendale, Ohio police officer Josh Hilling responded to a pedestrian walking down a very busy Interstate 75 highway. Glendale is only a village of about 2150 people, but it is a part of the suburban sprawl of Cincinnati. In the few minutes of contact, Officer Hilling is trying to determine where the man came from, where he is going, and where he has been staying. The man has the appearance of a drifter, and everything at first appears to be a rather routine citizen contact.

Pedestrians are prohibited on Interstate highways, and Officer Hilling tries to explain that it very dangerous for the man to be walking on the highway. When Hilling takes the man to his patrol car, he tells the man he’s going to frisk him for “officer safety”. What happens next nearly costs Officer Hilling his life, and will be the focus of this BlueSheepDog Officer Safety training post.

Civilian drones are becoming increasingly popular (photo on Pintrest).

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) may have only come into the common lexicon in the last few years, but they are rapidly becoming a major concern for the public and law enforcement. Previously, the idea of drones was left to science-fiction movies, but the potential uses of a drone have expanded well beyond the mysterious as released military videos have proven the incredible surveillance and even attack capabilities of these UAV’s.

Armed civilian aircraft have been posted to Youtube and immediately garnered the attention of Federal and local authorities, but what about a simple aerial surveillance platform? More and more civilian drones are entering the airspace and the potential for privacy violations or compromised law enforcement missions is growing.

The use of armored vehicles, like this LENCO Bear Cat, increased after 9-11, and can assist officers in the overall concept being studied.

This is the third installment of our series examining the concept of, “Speed, Surprise, and Violence of Action”. In Part I we detailed our opinions of the good and bad of Speed. In Part II we evaluated how Surprise can be both beneficial and costly. Now, in Part III, we will evaluate the term, “Violence of Action”.

Words provide powerful images in the American dialogue. This is even more important when the government (police) interact with the citizenry. Our country’s foundation was on the principles of liberty and freedom from tyranny. Even 240 years later, those principles ring true, and as American law enforcement we should cautiously guard our training philosophies to prevent the good and public-endorsed enforcement of the law, to turn into the over-bearing weight of a powerful government.

The use of armored vehicles, like this LENCO Bear Cat, increased after 9-11.

SURPRISE – is probably the most misunderstood component of this entire tactical philosophy. Defined as, “an unexpected or astonishing event, fact, or thing”, Surprise can be a very valuable ally to police tactical operations. Surprise can also be a very shifty and non-trustworthy companion, changing sides in a heartbeat.

Recently the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) published 30 Guidelines identifying its recommendations for every American law enforcement agency to better handle the highly volatile topic of police use of force. In our first article, Part I, we discussed the guidelines that made sense and actually can assist law enforcement in effective interactions with the public in general and with violent or mental suspects.

However, among the 30 Guidelines PERF presented are some incredibly short-sighted recommendations that could very well endanger police officers and the public. This article will discuss those guidelines, and how they could be counter-productive to the intended goal of making the profession better and the public safer.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) recently published “30 Guiding Principles” the organization feels every American law enforcement agency should adopt to better handle the extremely controversial aspects of police use of force.

We will closely examine the 30 Guiding Principles presented by PERF. Some are very good recommendations, but others appear horribly misguided. A document like this, from an organization like PERF, can have wide-ranging impact on the profession of law enforcement. As such, any document recommending sweeping changes needs to be very closely evaluated based upon its source, the document’s content, and the reasoning behind publishing such a document.

The BlueSheepDog Crew is always evaluating the site to see how we can make things better. As we have stated many times already, our primary purpose is to provide America’s law enforcement officers an outstanding resource for:

Officer safety concerns

Training on key aspects of police work

Information on the latest firearms, ammunition, and LE duty gear available

If you have been on the job for more than 5 years then you have likely heard the tactical training concept, “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast“.

I’ve been on our SWAT team for nearly 13 years, and I heard this saying early on in my training experience. I want to take a moment to break down the concept of the mantra; the good, the bad, and the ugly! I think there is a lot that can be learned from this training concept, but also a lot of myth that must be dispelled.